Moonlit Confession
by Tiger Priestess
Summary: One night, Sakura decides that the best way to clear her head would be to take a walk around Konoha. Sasuke&Sakura [Oneshot]


Moonlit Confession

**I thought I'd try a Sasuke&Sakura one-shot. This takes place after Sasuke returns to Konaha and everything appears to be normal. Anyway, I hope you will like it…**

"Good-bye Sakura," the nurses said to the pink haired medic-shinobi as she walked passed the front desk slowly; a smile was on her face.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she replied opening the door and walked outside, shutting it behind her, before stopping. The summer breeze caught her cherry blossom colored hair as it swayed in the light and gentle caress of the wind. Taking a deep breath she walked on. Her thoughts were currently occupied with thoughts of the last time she had felt such a breeze. She was uneasy when she had come across the feeling years ago, but this time… it was different. It made her feel at peace. Painful memories resurfaced, though the wind had changed, those memories were still etched into her mind – like a carving carved in a stone.

Her head fell as she took slow strides forward. No one was on the streets and she didn't know where she was going; her feet led the way down the stone path. A soft, sad sigh escaped her lips as she looked up at the sky. A full silver moon was there, just like it was years ago when she had last seen Sasuke before he left. It hurt to think about it. Scars and wounds were reopened as she seen his handsome face in the darkness of night._ 'Could I still love him?'_ she asked herself. It was moments later she recognized the path her feet were taking her, down the path toward the bench he had left her. Even after that night, she often found herself there to think of the good and bad things that happened in her life. _'Could I love someone I don't know anymore? He's no longer the Sasuke I knew when we where Genin.'_

----

However, there was one place that stayed open this late at night. Though it was only for their favorite and best customer. "Eat up," the man behind the Ichiraku bar said, giving Naruto an extra helping of ramen. "After that mission you must be starved. And what about you?" he looked over to the other boy accompanying the blonde. "Would you like anything else?"

"No," he responded and the man nodded with a smile as he went to cleaning some dishes.

"Hey Sasuke-teme," Naruto said as he slurped up some ramen, looking at him. Sasuke's arms were crossed and his cool expression was on his face and he turned slightly to see his best friends face.

"What?" he asked, annoyance was in his voice.

"You should know," Naruto started, his head lowered and looking at his ramen. His voice was also low as if he were afraid to say anything to him. Sasuke's expression was calm, though, inwardly he was curious, if not somewhat worried about him. Since he had returned, nearly six months ago, Naruto had always been open with him – even if it annoyed him some. "You should know, though you may have already noticed… that since you left Sakura and I have become closer. Family if you will." Sakura's name made Sasuke's body stiffen, though he hid it well.

"So, why should I care about your relationship?" he asked, appearing not to care as he turned away and grabbed his tea to take a sip.

"I thought so," the blonde said as he looked back at his friend, who looked at him, surprised with his answer. He for sure thought Naruto would jump at him for his words. Naruto looked back at the bowl of ramen again, as if he had lost his appetite. "We had a short talk shortly after you were back and your punishment was decided. I asked Sakura what she thought about you now." Now this had some of the Uchiha's attention. "She told me that she never gave up on you, and I somehow already knew that."

"How would you know?" Sasuke asked with a bit of a bite, the subject was obviously a touchy one for him. His attention was now back to his tea.

"Because I never have either," Naruto answered quietly. "Not even Kakashi gave up on you. I heard that he had a talk with you before you decided to leave. Sasuke, Sakura said that we had all become a family." The raven haired teen looked back at his friend and rival. "Family should help each other, she told me. Family care and love each other, even when they don't get along, they still care. And honestly Sasuke," Naruto looked at him with a sad smile, "you all _are_ my family. When we were Team 7, I was happy. I've always hated being alone. You, Sakura, Iruka and Kakashi saved me from me, I hated all of you once, I hated everyone in the village… because they hated me."

The blonde looked away, for the first time, clearly uncomfortable with what he was saying. Sasuke looked at him, his mouth slightly agape in thought, '_You really _were _alone, weren't you Naruto?' _

"Anyway teme," Naruto started again his blue eyes bore deep into his friends, "what I'm saying is that when we battled Gaara, I felt his loneliness and thought that that could have been me if I continued to hate. You're not alone, Sasuke, you've had a family and you still do. The three of us haven't given up on you. And now that I see Sakura, she's not the same as she was when we were twelve. Sakura is more alone than ever. I think you're killing her, slowly. She's no longer as open to me anymore. I don't want to loose another friend and family member, because I lost you once." Naruto was now trying to keep his composure, but he sobbed. "When you left, the three of us died, and now, I think she's dieing again."

"Why would you say that?" the boy inquired.

"Have you seen Sakura the past few days?" he thought about it.

"She's been avoiding me," Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "so how would I?"

Naruto wiped his eyes, "Clueless, have you thought that… never mind."

"What, you're the one who doesn't stop talking!" his voice was impatient.

Naruto sighed, "What I was saying was that she doesn't deserve it. Sakura is part of my family, Sasuke. Again, before you left, I told her you didn't need any more power. I always thought of you as a power house. If she gets hurt by anyone again, I won't hesitate to protect her. She's been through enough, friends are supposed to care for another's well being. I don't know if you still have what it takes to be a friend anymore. The old you died years ago."

"Hn," Sasuke stood up and exited.

"Just don't hurt her again, please?" Naruto asked him as he left, returning his saddened gaze at his ramen. _'Please don't kill her. She's almost out of reach.'_

"_Just don't hurt her again, please?" _Naruto's words echoed in the avengers head as he walked, hands were in his pockets as he went wherever his feet would take him. _"Sakura said that we all had become family."_

"_You're not alone, Sasuke, you've had a family and you still do."_

"_The three of us haven't given up on you. And now that I see Sakura, she's not the same as she was when we were twelve. Sakura is more alone than ever." _

"_I think you're killing her, slowly. She's no longer as open to me anymore. I don't want to loose another friend and family member, because I lost you once."_

"_When you left, the three of us died, and now, I think she's dieing again."_

"_Again, before you left, I told her you didn't need any more power. I always thought of you as a power house."_

His thoughts drifted on the conversation he and the Kyuubi vessel were on. _'Could I be killing her?'_ he stopped when he realized where he was, near the bench he had knocked her out. The last place they had spoken before his departure. _'Could she still love me enough to where I'm killing her? That would explain why she's avoiding me,' _his line of thoughts ceased when he looked ahead. Sakura was there, her back facing him. He looked up to see what she was looking at. The moon, just like the one from the night he left. Sasuke looked back at Sakura, he was wondering if she was thinking of him at the moment. It was then that he realized that she hadn't felt his presence, so he quickly masked it but stayed in the open area. _'She must be deep in thought to notice me. She should be more careful; I could have been an enemy shinobi and killed her quickly.' _ His thought went back to Naruto's words. Uchiha remained his position of watching her. Another breeze caught them both, her short hair swayed softly against it.

'_How can I still love him?!' _the last of her thoughts was shouted, her shoulders were shaking. _'It doesn't matter; I don't want to add anymore pain to my heart.' _

'_But you do love him,'_ her inner self told her.

'…_I do, but some things are never meant to happen,'_ she reasoned, _'I can't dwell on it forever, I have to work tomorrow.'_ The kunoichi sighed heavily; the weight seemed to disappear as she did. All she had to do was sort out her feelings. It was worth it. She slowly turned around and took a step back as she stared at a figure about ten feet behind her. Once she recognized who it was, she averted her eyes, turning away from him.

"It's the middle of the night. What are you doing hanging around here for?" he asked the same question from years before.

"Why would you care?" she asked a little harshly. "I could ask you the same thing. I know that the ANBU watching you are ready to spring into action if you attempt to leave again."

"I'm not here to leave," Sasuke replied coolly.

Sakura looked at him questioningly, "Then why are you here?" her tone hadn't changed. However there was a quiver in it, which Sasuke had caught easily.

"Just going for a walk," he answered.

"Don't let me hold you up then," she started walking toward him.

"What were you thinking about?"

"…Nothing…"

"Tell me-" he started.

"Why should I have to tell you anything?!" she snapped, three feet in front of him. Sasuke was taken aback but hid this fact. Sakura had snapped at him.

'_The dobe was right, this isn't the same Sakura.'_ Sasuke thought. _'That's what I said…'_ he thought back,_ 'wasn't it?' _Now that she used it with him, he could feel how hard the blow was. It was extremely painful. A strike to the heart, he felt it one other time. Only once and now it was the second.

"I have to go," she said even lower, she now felt remorse, but she wouldn't tell him that – but he had caught it, she was always easy to read. Her feet moved again and she went to walk passed him.

'_I understand it now,'_ he thought. _'So much pain, it hurts now more than ever.' _ Just as she walked by his hand wrapped around her wrist.

"Let me go!" she pulled her hand back, but to no avail. Immediately she stopped struggling, it would only make things harder. It felt as if she were in quicksand, struggle and you would have a harder time to escape, but most likely not.

"Sakura?" came his voice. It was soft, like it was just before he had knocked her out.

"Can't you just leave me alone, Sasuke?" she didn't look at him. "The wound you gave me hasn't even closed yet."

"You've been avoiding me," he stated.

"Can you blame me?"

Silence.

"You're killing me, Sasuke," she said quietly. "You've been killing ever since you came back on the team. I can't look at you the same anymore." She was able to pull her wrist away from his loosened grip and he made no attempt to get it back. "I can't even look at you."

"It's painful, isn't it?"

"…You have no idea."

"…Actually… I do." The medic-nin looked at him slowly. His gaze was at the moon, "It's the same as that night." Sakura glanced at it hurriedly and walked away, leaving Sasuke to watch her. "Sakura?" he said above a whisper, she pretended not to perceive her name. "Can you forgive me?" the girl stopped her attention away from him.

"Are you playing with me?" she asked, her shoulders were trembling. Sasuke could see the tears hit the stone path at her feet, another memory of that night. He appeared in front of him, just as close as he was when he was behind her. When she realized his position, she turned her head and tried to stop the sobs that refused to cease. His hand cupped her chin as he pulled it to look at him. She closed her eyes, looking at him would only hurt her even more.

"No," he answered her question. "And please stop crying. It's always hurt me to see you cry." One of his words were polite.

She turned her head away and opened her green eyes, his hand still on her chin, "…I forgive you… but those wounds can never be healed. They're too deep for anyone to heal."

"Will you let me try to fix the wounds I've caused?"

The kunoichi held her breath as she heard him, this time he had her attention. "…What?"

"Will you let me try to fix the wounds I've caused?" he repeated, looking into her eyes as he moved his hand.

"… I… don't think even you could heal them. My heart has been broken for too long."

"You still love me," he had observed her when he found her; now he thought he'd tell her he knew she still did. "You're the first to love me outside of my clan. I was blind when we were twelve. How could you forgive me if you still didn't?"

"I don't want to love you, not now," she said turning away.

"I see, it's bad when someone realizes their attraction to another who no longer feels the same," Sasuke said quietly.

"What do you mean?" she asked, backing away a few steps.

"While you were avoiding me the past few days, I felt… lost… and alone." He looked at her, his dark bangs hiding his eyes. "I understand the way you felt now, and I feel the same way. Someone I come to care for is now out of my reach. I haven't felt loved in years since my clans' murder, but you always loved me, and I was blind to see that someone loved me. And now here you are, no longer the same person I have come to love over the past few days."

"Part of me wants to believe that you are returning my feelings, but the other is telling me not to be gullible to everything." Sakura put her right hand to her heart. "It hurts so much to see you."

Sasuke approached a few steps and she reversed and he stopped, "You're scared of me now," his voice held disappointment.

"I don't think I've ever stopped loving you, Sasuke, but you do scare me. Now more than ever." She turned, her back facing him and her head lowered.

"Do you still… think of me as family?"

"… Who told you?"

"Dobe."

Sakura gave a small chuckle, "I should have known. The whole team is my family. We've all become family, at least Kakashi, Naruto and I. I don't know if you thought you were, but you are."

Quietly, Sasuke stepped up to where he was just behind her, again memories resurfaced for the both of them. "Sakura…? I wasn't sure of my feelings then, but now I will say it. I love you." Her head jerked up as he said those words. Cautiously she looked at him, his eyes were not empty. The onyx pools were sincere with their meaning and his facial features shown that he was waiting for her response.

'_Is he serious?' _she asked herself.

'_His eyes tell their story.' _Her innerself resurfaced.

'_They're entrancing, soft. This is a new emotion I haven't seen of his.'_

'_Perhaps you have taken a look into his soul? A part of him that no one other than his family have seen?'_

"Sakura…" his voice broke her from her thoughts as she blinked. "I'll say it again, I love you."

A few more moments of silence.

The girl was about to say something to respond until she seen him lean closer. Inches were nearly closed. She had dreamed of this, even her first time with Sasuke on the bench when they were assigned their three-man teams (to bad she still hasn't found out it was Naruto XD).

Finally that gap was closed, his lips to hers. Time stood still for Sakura as he led, slowly not to push beyond his limits. Her lips tasted of strawberries. He pulled away cautiously, not to make her think he was lying, he was telling the truth. Then his forehead rested against hers. "Will you let me try to fix the wounds I've caused?" he repeated for the third time. Sakura looked up in his eyes again and met the same emotions as she did before.

"I'll let you try to fix my heart, but if you can't… please don't create new ones." She said.

"Come on, I'll walk you home." Sasuke grabbed her hand in his and pulled her along gently. They walked slowly, in no hurry to get there.

From one of the branches, someone smiled. "Well done, teme. I knew you could care for someone. Just please don't hurt her, not again."

**Well, how was it? I hope you liked it. I got this idea last night and thought I'd try it out. Reviews and criticism are appreciated. Thanks for reading.**


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